1

I am a beginner bread maker and just bought a San Francisco Sourdough starter. The instructions ask to discard part of the starter on day 5 of activating the starter. Why is that?

BundaSuja
  • 51
  • 3
  • I don't have time for a full answer, but note that discard doesn't really mean throw away in this case. "Use up" might be a better term and there are many good recipes for (unfed) starter discard. – Chris H Oct 21 '20 at 17:01
  • related : https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/55179/67 ; https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/91409/67 ; https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/75318/67 ; – Joe Oct 21 '20 at 17:29
  • 3
    Does this answer your question? [Sourdough starter - Have I been doing it wrong?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/91409/sourdough-starter-have-i-been-doing-it-wrong) – FuzzyChef Oct 28 '20 at 00:19
  • Welcome to SA! Your question about discarding has been asked many times before. Please see the links Joe provided. – FuzzyChef Oct 28 '20 at 00:20

1 Answers1

0

If some of the starter is not removed, it becomes overly acidic. Too much acid reduces the leavening effect of the starter. Removing and feeding keeps the acid in balance.

moscafj
  • 72,382
  • 3
  • 117
  • 207